Sir Patrick had served in France in the Scotch troop who came to
the assistance of the Dauphin, until he was taken prisoner by
his native monarch, James I., then present with the army of
Henry V. He had then spent two years at Windsor, in attendance
upon that prince, until both were set at liberty by the treaty
made by Cardinal Beaufort. In the meantime, his betrothed,
Lilias, being in danger at home, had been bestowed in the
household of the Countess of Warwick, where she had been much
with an admirable and saintly foreign lady, Esclairmonde de
Luxembourg, who had taken refuge from the dissensions of her
own vexed country among the charitable sisterhood of St.
Katharine in the Docks in London.

Sir Patrick and his lady had thus enjoyed far more training in
the general European civilisation than usually fell to the lot
of their countrymen; and they had moreover imbibed much of the
spirit of that admirable King, whose aims at improvement,
religious, moral, and political, were so piteously cut short by
his assassination. During the nine miserable years that had
ensued it had not been possible, even in conjunction with Bishop Kennedy, to afford any efficient support or protection to the
young King and his mother, and it had been as much as Sir
Patrick could do to protect his own lands and vassals, and do
his best to bring up his children to godly, honourable, and
chivalrous ways; but amid all the evil around he had decided
that it was well-nigh impossible to train them to courage
without ruffianism, or to prevent them from being tainted by the
prevailing standard. Even among the clergy and monastic orders
the type was very low, in spite of the endeavours of Bishop
Kennedy, who had not yet been able to found his university at
St. Andrews; and it had been agreed between him and Sir Patrick